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Published: December 29th 2007
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Back again!
I´ve been in Panama for a week now and for the majority of the time it has been raining..... Not just raining as I could cope with that, but absolutely pouring down!!! Everything got sopping wet including my entire pack and all my clothes and they are only just drying now after the third day of sunshine! For a while there it was getting a bit miserable as I was unable to really enjoy each town, but have now had three days of hot sun and have enjoyed every single minute of it!!! We crossed the border into Panama from Costa Rica about a week ago, having to walk with our packs over a rickety bridge that was about 200 metres long over a river and was only just wide enough for both pedestrians and the gigantic trucks that crossed it on a regular basis. You had to be quick to avoid having a truck coming up behind you, lots of fun when you can see the river under your feet. 😊 From there we headed to Bocas del Toro which is an island just over the border in Panama on the Caribbean. To get there we had another
boat ride of about half an hour in the pouring rain, but thankfully this time I was completely under cover! Bocas is a rather large island that has several smaller islands nearby and is famous for the snorkelling, swimming and boating that can be done in the area. The pictures of the area in sunshine are simply amazing, but unfortunately for the entire three days we were there it completely poured down without a break so we were pretty limited in what we could do. Of course it had all the restaurants and bars you could expect for a tourist town and it actually has the famous kamakaze tequila shots which are handed out for free should you agree to do one. A Kamaze shot involves snorting a line of salt from the table, slamming down a shot of tequila and then squirting lime juice into your eye. For some strange reason I actually declined this free opportunity and stuck to my little rum and cokes. The day after we arrived we decided to brave a boat ride to see the butterfly farm and a number of beaches on nearby islands. The butterfly farm was amazing to see, particularly all
Bocas del Toro
Waiting for the boat to the island the gorgeous large blue butterflies that had in the enclosure. From there we headed to Dolphin Bay where we spent half an hour sitting in the boat in the rain and were just about to give up when we spotted the dolphins. So amazing to watch! And they came so close to the boat! Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos of the actual dolphins, just the water where they had been! We also visited another island where there were a number of the tiny frogs that Panama is well known for as well as the starfish cove where you could literally reach in and pick up a starfish! By the time we returned back to the main island we were pretty much completely sopping wet and cold, but it was a good day! The next day was again pouring so I spent the day lazing about as we were very limited in what could be done. The one and only internet place was packed and had a lineup that was over an hour wait.... That night for Christmas eve we went out as a group for a fun night of seafood & pressies! Christmas Day was to be
honest a bit of a downer as it was again pouring and was also a travel day. We spent most of the day in a number of minivans and buses on our way to Boquete in the mountains. For our Christmas dinner the only restaurant that was open was actually Peruvian, so I had a peruvian seafood platter which turned out to be an interesting combination, not quite the platter I was expecting, but then I´m getting used to that! Boquete was a cute little town that has a reputation for great coffee, so of course the next day I was up early on a coffee tour of Cafe Ruiz which has won numerous international awards for their coffee and employs a large number of local native people for their coffee plantation and exportation. It was great to see behind the scenes of how coffee is produced and the amount of work required! I again stocked up on my coffee supply and am now in serious risk of not only being completely over the weight limit to return home, but I´d be surprised if I get through customs with the number of coffee bags I have! At last count I
think it´s about 20..... a bit excessive, but when in Central America it needs to be done! I forgot to add that this first full day in Boquete was the first day of sunshine in over four days so I had to buy the coffee to celebrate the change in weather 😊. The next day we spent by the pool only heading into town for lunch and dinner, rather lazy but the sunshine needed to be enjoyed! After three nights in Boquete we had an early start for another long travel day to El Valle including three different local buses two of which required we carry our packs into the bus which didn´t really make for comfortable travel, but was pretty amusing most of the time! El Valle is a tiny town in the middle of an extinct volcanic crater about two hours west of Panama City. It is such a cute little town! We arrived yesterday afternoon and hit the local craft markets within minutes and again I have to admit I´ve overdone it with my shopping.... that, and I managed to break something in one of the stalls accidently so my brother Rob now has his christmas present
Bocas del Toro
Time for a Panama beer.... as I felt I had to buy something there! You will like it though Rob!! 😊 This morning we hit the markets and shops again with great success and then caught a cab up into the mountains for some horseriding. So gorgeous up there! I had the most relaxed horse and we just wandered through the trails through the bushland on the mountains, coming across local farmers and just enjoying the tranquil beauty of this area. On our way back down the mountain after we had returned the horses, a local stopped his van and offered us a lift back into town. This man turned out to be a local expat German who owns the nicest hotel in El Valle, which he took us back to and gave us cake & coffee while telling us about his amazing life! We agreed we´d be back for dinner and he then drove us back into town. We´ve already organised for most of the group to return tonight for some local and german food! Was a very lucky chance meeting that made for a great afternoon with a very interesting character! I have also forgotten to mention that I am now on day
Bocas del Toro
Ham & cheese scrambled eggs.... not quite what I was expecting! 5 of no hot water..... I think I have perfected the art of the quick rinse, but am getting desperate for a nice hot shower!!!! Am desperately hoping Panama City where I will be tomorrow just in time for lunch. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and will have a wonderful New Years Eve! Will be back on again most likely once I am back from the San Blas Islands.
Love Jack xoxoxox
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Jacqui
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so cute!
You just look so cute and happy in all the photos, I can hardly wait until I see you! I just love reading about all your adventures. Today is out last full day in Florida and we are off to a friend's condo for NY Eve celebration tonight. Back to Toronto tomorrow where there are saying 5cm of snow. Hope you are prepared for NY weather, it will be a bit of a shock I'm afraid. See you soon my friend! Love J